


The Case of the Missing Princess

by the_northern_star



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean Lance (Voltron), Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blackmail, Bodyguard, Bodyguard Keith (Voltron), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, How Do I Tag, JUST A LITTLE BIT!, Kidnapping, Kinda, Like... really slow, M/M, Mystery, Nobility, Not Beta Read, Romura, Royalty, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Temporary Amnesia, klance, wow. thats not smth i thought i would ever tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:01:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24735094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_northern_star/pseuds/the_northern_star
Summary: When Lance, a young Altean noble, is accidentally the last person to see Crown Princess Allura before she is mysteriously kidnapped, he feels responsible. He is determined to solve the case, but there's only two things stopping him: some temporary amnesia and his annoyingly watchful new bodyguard...---------In which noble!Lance and bodyguard!Keith try and solve a kidnapping.
Relationships: Allura/Romelle (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 27





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> salutations, fellow reader.
> 
> klance fics? in 2020? on my dashboard? it's more likely than you think.
> 
> ohhh my god. why do i do this to myself? WHY do i constantly start multichapter fics which i know i will never finish? on that note, i am on a mission. i am going to finish this goddamn fic if it's the last thing i do, so i have a loose upload schedule arranged: post at least twice a week. will i follow it? probably not, but it's worth a try.
> 
> another important thing to note is that uhhhhh half of the tags dont come up later in the story at this point we only have a single chapter soooooo. pls be patient TwT

Princess Allura was the most beautiful person ever.

Full stop, period, paragraph over. There was really no argument. Objectively, she was gorgeous. Her silky-smooth skin was the colour of hot chocolate and her ivory curls glistened in the chandelier light like spun silver. Her pale blue eyes were comparable to a clear sky on a summer’s day, brimming with life and magic. She was otherworldly, ethereal, magical, intangibly exquisite, like a fairy dancing over a moonlit cornfield-

"Are you daydreaming about the Princess again? You look like it. You've got that look on your f-"

"Shut it!" Lance hissed, "I am not daydreaming about the princess! Besides, I don't "daydream". I fantasize poetically!"

Hunk, Lance's best friend, gave him a slow grin of disbelief. "Whatever you say, man." He wiped down the table Lance was standing at with a wet rag, forcing Lance to take a step back from where he had been thinking (read: daydreaming) about Princess Allura, arms on the table, chin supported by his hands.

Hunk was a kitchenhand at the castle in Altea and had been Lance’s best friend for as long as he could remember. Their difference in class had never really mattered, because even though Lance was technically nobility, his parents were relatively lax about who he befriended and hung out with, as long he didn’t cause too many public scandals. Today, Hunk was acting as a waiter for a ball Lance had been invited to: a formal event to honour Princess Allura’s upcoming coronation.

"It's just, you had that look on your face. The look you always get when you're like, super in love," Hunk continued, feigning nonchalance.

Lance sputtered and felt his cheeks go hot. "Hunk!" he yelped, "I am not in love! I was simply admiring the Princess' beauty! She's really pretty, everyone knows that!"

Hunk laughed once more and clapped him on the back. "Alright, buddy, whatever you say. Whatever you say."

Across the ballroom, Allura raised one hand to her mouth to daintily giggle at a joke her companion had told her. Lance glared. The joke probably wasn't even that funny. If he had the chance, he could've made her laugh, for real, not some pretend giggle hidden behind a small hand. A real laugh that came from her stomach, one that made her eyes crinkle.

Lance sighed despairingly. Who was he kidding? Allura probably had a list of people she had to dance with at this evening's gala so she could keep up appearances and strengthen alliances and what not, and he wasn't on that list.

The orchestra changed song and soft, sultry notes sounded throughout the ballroom. The dancers began a leisurely swirl across the floor, slow dancing to the dulcet tones. Outside, the moon hung full in the inky black sky, visible through the massive gilded windows that covered all the walls. They were framed ornately with bunches of juniberrys, as custom for celebrations.

This evening, Allura had danced with a Galran commander, Sendak, a Balmeran Lord, Sir Rax, the Marmoran ambassador, Kolivan, and the Crown Prince of the Galra Empire himself, Prince Lotor.

The Prince was currently sipping nunvil in the furthest corner of the room with his date, a slender Galra woman with lavender skin and slicked back blue-violet hair. Her glare was extremely intimidating, but Lance thought he would be glaring like that too if his date had left him to dance with someone prettier than him. Lotor, on the other hand, looked completely at ease, his lilac lips unturned in a devilish smirk, looking like the cat that got the cream.

He had, obviously. He and Allura had swayed across the dancefloor in perfect unison, Allura's pale blue and white chiffon skirts swishing with every turn. The way he had leaned in every now and whispered something in her ear had made Lance's blood boil and he had had to fight the urge to punch Lotor's stupid handsome face in. Every time he had said something, Allura had replied just as secretively, like they knew something he didn't. It was so unfair! When would Lance get to do that?

But instead of stepping in, Lance had just waited at his table in miserable solitude. And it was time he did something about that.

He turned to face his best friend. "Hypothetically, if I asked the Princess to dance with me, what would she say?"

"She would go 'Oh Lonce, I would love to! I've been waiting all evening for you to ask me!'" Hunk replied, with a terrible imitation of Allura's Altean accent. He clasped his hands together and lifted a leg, his eyes wide in a mocking gesture.

"Quit it, man. What do you think she would really say?" Lance said with an eye-roll.

"I'm serious, dude! Go for it! What's the worst she can do?" Hunk laughed easily.

Lance flinched. "Not helping, dude! She might say no, or she might laugh at me, or maybe she'll have me publicly executed, or maybe she'll tell me she's dating Lotor, or-"

"Woah! Lance, buddy, you're spiralling. I was joking, I didn't know you cared so much! I'm sure she'd love to dance with you!"

"Really?" he said, unsure.

"Definitely. She'll be immediately charmed by your awesome personality and good looks! Don't worry!" Hunk grinned, then shoved him forwards, "Now go ask her!"

Lance chuckled and let himself be pushed forward. "Thanks, man. I do have a pretty awesome personality."

Curling his hands into fists, he fixed the princess with a determined grin. He was going to ask her out before the evening ended, even if it was the last thing he did.

On the other side of the room, Allura had just finished waltzing with the Olkari head of state, Lady Ryner. Lance hurried his pace, dodging drunk party guests and waiters carrying trays of hors d'oeuvres. He darted around a particularly large Galra noble with a quick apology, finally reaching the dancefloor.

Where was Allura? Lance turned his head from side to side, eyes flitting from one side of the room to the other in search of her elegant blue ballgown. Holy quiznak, it hadn't seemed like there were so many people from the other side of the room. The music was really loud, and everyone was talking loudly. Swirling fabric skirts and capes of every colour were everywhere and suddenly Lance felt a little dizzy. Now less mindful of the other guests, he shoved his way through the crowd, earning him a few angry glares and outcries.

When he finally made his way out of the crowd, he stumbled outside, disoriented. He slumped against a pillar of the courtyard and pressed his forehead against the cool marble while taking deep breaths. That had been intense. Maybe he shouldn't have had so many of those champagne flutes Hunk had offered him. After a while, he staggered to his feet and was about to continue his search for the princess when a flash of white and blue in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned, just in time to see the princess hurrying across the cobblestone of the courtyard. Lance's brow furrowed. Where on earth was the princess going at this time in the evening during a party?

She’s probably going to visit Lotor, a spiteful voice at the back of his head supplied. He clenched a fist and grit his teeth. No, she wasn’t. Of course not! She was probably just heading up to her rooms or something! Lance would be the perfect gentleman and offer to walk her up to her rooms, then. He dashed across the flagstone in pursuit, his expensive dress shoes clacking uncomfortably against the cold stone, and made his way through a large archway into a garden. He pulled his suit jacket closer around himself and shivered as a cool breeze mussed his hair. It was cold this evening, and Lance wished he had brought a jacket. 

Allura was up ahead and he purposefully strode forward, only to be yanked back by his collar. He choked and tried to struggle away but suddenly someone brought something hard down on his head with a thump and he slumped forward and fell onto his knees. Distantly he registered someone shrieking. The clang of the object against his skull rang in his head and his teeth clicked together. Lance fuzzily became aware that something warm and sticky was dripping down his forehead. Aw man, that would be a nightmare to clean out of his hair.

"What should we do with our visitor, boss?" a gruff voice sounded above him.

Someone else said something, but Lance was finding it hard to concentrate. Even his own thoughts felt far away. His ears were ringing and when he tried to look up his vision spun, the whole garden becoming a swirling mess of grey and green as dark spots danced at the edges. He groaned as the pain began to set in: he felt like someone had dropped an anvil on his head from a height. It reminded him of that one time he had tried to impress one of his sister’s friends and had accidentally fell down the stairs and gotten a concussion.

One of the grey blobs in his vision that Lance assumed were people stepped forward and then suddenly, a blinding white flash of light filled his vision and he screamed, lifting his arms in an attempt to shield himself.

The last thing he thought before he blacked out was how he had determinedly thought earlier that he would ask Allura out if it was the last thing he would do, and now he didn't even get to do that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Lance wakes up, he finds out what happened to Allura. And his day only seems to be getting worse!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um. so. that original upload schedule? not gonna happen. but not to worry! i have a new plan!
> 
> i think im gonna try and update once a month? itll def take longer but. clearly i need that time :/
> 
> anyways. sorry for the wait and enjoy!! <3

"Alright, one more time. What exactly do you remember the night of the ball?"

Lance groaned. "I already told you everything I remember! Why do we have to do this again?"

Captain Takashi "just call me Shiro" Shirogane sighed. "Look, Lance, we need all the information we can get on this case, and you just happen to be the last person to see the Princess before she disappeared. Not to mention you were found knocked out in the place she was last seen. I'm just trying to jog your memory."

Lance grit his teeth and blinked furiously, his hands curling into fists around the pristine white hospital bed sheets. He was not going to cry in front of his childhood hero, goddammit.

Shiro's face softened. "I know this is hard for you, but you're the biggest lead we have. Don't blame yourself for this, there's nothing you could've done. If you're tired, we can take a break?"

"No!" Lance replied quickly and took a deep breath.

"I, um, I spent most of the night with my friend Hunk-"

"The waiter?"

"Yes.” Shiro nods in affirmation and goes back to revising his notes.

“I wanted to ask Allura to dance with me. I waited most of the evening to ask her," Lance continued, then laughed mirthlessly.

"It's kind of pathetic, right? I was so worried she would reject me. I spent all evening long stressing out over that, and now I'll probably never see her again."

"Of course you'll see the princess again, the Royal Guard will make sure of it. But we need you to remember as much as you can so we can get her back safely as soon as possible," Shiro encouraged, giving Lance a slight smile. It felt laughably out of place.

"Um, so, I finally worked up the courage to ask her and went up to her and then I followed her outside. I thought that maybe she had was tired and was going up to her rooms and I wanted to walk with her. I followed her through the courtyard and into the garden, and then..." he trailed off.

"And then?"

"I don't know! I think... someone hit me over the head? Or there was like, a bright, flashing light? I... I don't know!" Lance yelled, slamming his fists into the mattress either side of him and choked back a sob. He was useless! He couldn't even remember how he was knocked out, let alone who had taken the princess.

"Hey, it's alright. By the sounds of it, your memory was wiped," Shiro murmured, landing a heavy hand of his shoulder, "don't dwell on it. There was nothing you could've done, alright? You've already helped a great deal by telling us this."

He gave Lance a final smile, one to mask the soft pitying look his face had worn before. Somehow, that made Lance feel even worse. Shiro bid him goodbye and left, quietly closing the door behind him. Lance turned numbly to the window, where is was drizzling rain from the sombre grey sky.

It had barely been 12 hours since the princess had officially disappeared, and Lance had been found. Allegedly, about ten minutes after she had left the hall, one of the princess' handmaidens had been searching for her and had stumbled across Lance's unconscious body in the gardens. She had immediately alerted the guards. Not only the castle, but the entire capital city had gone on lockdown in an attempt to trap the kidnappers who had taken the crown princess only days before her coronation.

Lance had woken up in the hospital, his head pounding like someone had taken a hammer to it. Shiro, the captain of the royal guard, and therefore the head of the investigation of the princess' disappearance, had been with him when he awoke and had explained Lance's situation. On any other occasion, Lance would've been delighted to meet the man he had idolised as a boy, but at that moment, he had felt sick to his stomach.

Even now, his insides churned at the thought of what had happened. If only he had been just a little more careful, had taken more note of his surroundings.

After a while, one of the nurses helped him out of the hospital and into one of his family’s carriages. The entire ride home Lance sat silently. He felt hazy and numb, a million miles away. Like his head was threatening to float from his body. Allura was gone. And it was his fault.

The carriage slowly pulled into the driveway, gravel crunching below. The Mcclain Estate Manor was a large grey-blue villa with crumbling Grecian pillars and fountains lining the driveway, and ivy climbing the walls and framing the large windows. Through the windows of his carriage, Lance could see his parents on the second-floor balcony with his youngest niece and nephew, his father leaning over the white marble railing. In the driveway, his siblings were gathering in front of the door.

The carriage shuddered to a stop and the doors swung open, leaving Lance blearily blinking at the brightness outside. One of the footmen helped him out and he landed on the gravel driveway with a crunch. Immediately, he was swarmed by his siblings. Rachel grabbed him and held him in a headlock, which made Lance yelp, still sore from being hit over the head. Once she released him, Marco slapped him on the back and congratulated him on surviving while Luis jokingly asked why anyone would want to kidnap him, to which Veronica dryly replied that if he had been, they would've let him go after a day anyway, because he would talk their ears off.

His siblings dragged him into the foyer of the house where his mother rushed up to greet him, fussing over him and telling him to never give him a shock like that again.

"Oh Lance, mijo, never give us a shock like that again! I was so worried! Oh, I just can't believe these horrible people would hurt you like that!" she worried loudly, throwing her arms around in a tight hug. She smelled like cashmere and suncream, like home, and Lance felt his shoulders relax a bit.

"And Allura? Oh, that poor girl," she continued, as she manhandled him into the foyer, and he flinched.

"It's alright, I'm home now," he said, and tried for a smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace.

"Unfortunately," Rachel snarked lowly behind him.

While the rest of his family walked past him, interest lost quickly now that he was back home, his mother stopped him, grabbing his shoulders. They stood in the foyer, her arms gripping his shoulders tightly.

"Lance," she began in a serious tone, "there's something your father and I need to discuss with you."

Uh oh. Here it comes. She was never gonna let him leave the house again, let alone go to balls or hang out with Hunk or spy on people with Pidge! Oh god. He'd be stuck in his room for the next week at least, but if he played his cards right, maybe she'd let him go in the garden earlier...

At the top of the stairs, Sylvio turned to Rachel. "Is Tío Lance in trouble?" he fretted.

Rachel hid a snicker behind her hand. She eyed him from the top of the stairs and smirked at him. "So much trouble."

His mother began pulling him towards the sitting room, and when her back turned he childishly stuck his tongue out at Rachel, noting with satisfaction that his niece and nephew giggled.

He entered the sitting room and stiffened a little. His father and his oldest sister, Veronica, were sitting on the plush silver-blue couches with a stranger he didn't recognise. He wished his mother had warned him that they would be having guests over, especially if the guests were extremely attractive young men with adorable fuzzy, lavender cat ears and intense violet eyes. He hoped he look at least a little presentable, as he hadn't had time to shower since yesterday or do any of his skincare regimes or... anything really. He had been knocked out cold in a hospital bed.

"Lance," his mother said, before he could introduce himself to the handsome guest, "this is Keith. Your new bodyguard."

Time froze. The parlour became so silent, Lance swore he would’ve been able to hear a pin drop. He tried uselessly to process his mothers’ words.

Lance whipped around to stare at his mother. "What?"

The boy (his new BODYGUARD?) began to stand as if to present himself, but Lance couldn't find it in him to care.

"A bodyguard?" he snapped, "why do I need a bodyguard! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself-"

"Evidently not," Veronica muttered (Lance gave her his best side glare)

"-and I don't need a babysitter to monitor me every second of the day!"

He knew he was making a terrible first impression – he almost definitely just sounded like a spoiled, rich brat who was having a tantrum because something wasn’t going his way. But right now that didn’t matter, because he much more pressing issues to deal with.

"Lance," his mother frowned sternly, "after what happened at the ball, your father and I both agree that this was something we should implement. Captain Shirogane even advised us to! You might be targeted next!"

Lance closed his eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. He had never needed a bodyguard, especially not now! "Look, I know you think I'm in danger or something, but I'm 17! I'm nearly of age! I can take care of myself and I don't need some stranger-" he turned to glare at "Keith", "-to look out for me!"

To his surprise, the other glared right back. Huh. Guess bratty rich kids weren’t really his thing.

His mother glared as well. "This isn't your choice to make, Lance. Keith will be staying with us for at least a few months and accompanying you everywhere, and that's final."

He gritted his teeth and stormed out. At this point he didn't care how big of a scene he was making. He didn't need a bodyguard, goddammit!

Lance reached his room and slammed the door shut, throwing himself on the bed. This really threw a spanner in the works, didn't it? He rolled onto his back to stare up at the sheer blue fabric of his canopy bed and dragged his hand across his face with a sigh.

When he had woken up and remembered what had happened during the ball, he had known: he was to blame. This was only made clearer when Captain Shiro came to interview him. If he had been more watchful, been less nervous, more outspoken, this wouldn't have happened. Even if Allura had declined his offer, he might've been able to give her a chance to escape, to avoid this horrible fate. He could have prevented this, and he hadn't.

Which meant he had to make things right. He had to be the one to find Allura, to save her from whatever horrible fate she was experiencing in captivity right now. This was the only way he could ever live with himself again - the guilt was eating him alive and he had to prove to everyone, prove to himself, that it wasn't his fault. But he knew "Keith", under his parents orders, wouldn't exactly support his... endeavours.

A tell-tale creak of one of the floorboards outside in the hall meant someone was coming this way. Lance stilled and waited, trying to recognise the footsteps. A sudden knock at the door made him jump. "Lance? Can I come in?" his oldest sister inquired.

He dropped back down on his bed and buried his head with a groan in his pillow, not even bothering to reply. There was no point. Veronica would be coming in anyway, as stubborn as she was. There was a click as the door opened and Lance listened to the padding of her feet coming closer. The mattress dipped as she came and sat down beside him.

"Wow, I knew you were a drama queen, but that back there was something else!" she huffed out a laugh. Lance drearily pulled his head up to glare at her.

She reached her hand out to ruffle his hair with a heavy sigh. Her eyes were distant, and her smile was sad. "You have to understand where Mama is coming from here. She was so worried - we all were, really - when we found out! Just try and humour us here? For a few months?" she tried gently.

Guilt welled in the pit of Lance's stomach and looked away; brows furrowed. Veronica sighed again. "I know you feel like it's your fault somehow-" he flinched -"but it's not! Allura will come back in a few days, you'll see! And the Royal Guard will find who did it and put them away and everything we'll be back to normal. You'll see," Veronica continued. Lance turned further away from his sister.

He had known she would've said that. Veronica was working as part of the Guard and had complete faith in them. She couldn't - wouldn't! - understand Lance's hesitance and guilt. It was why he hadn't wanted to say anything. No one else understood. He squared his jaw. This was something he had to do alone; it always had been. That wasn't going to stop him now, though. He let his shoulders relax and turned back to Veronica.

"Alright," he muttered. His sister's face brightened immediately.

"Keith," she called, and Lance froze up again. Wait.

"Keith", the bodyguard, entered the room. This time Lance got a better look at him. He was Galran - that much was clear. He had fuzzy purple fur covering all of the skin he was showing, pointy purple cat ears that stuck out from his dark hair (currently they were pricked up, at attention) and, oh! was that a tail swishing behind him? Noticeably, his eyes had gold sclera and intense violet irises, which where currently fixed on him, assessing him. Lance gulped.

After the scene he had just pulled in the sitting room, he’d be lucky if this guy even tolerated him anymore. For a tense moment, their eyes locked in argument. Suddenly, Keith directed his gaze at the ground respectfully and dipped his head stiffly. "It is a pleasure to be working for you, sir," he said gruffly. It felt painfully rehearsed.

Veronica immediately began boasting of how good a guard Keith was and all his skills ("-He's a genuine member of the Blade of Marmora!"), but Lance tuned his sister out. All that was important right now was planning his next move.

The day ended and night fell, the moon glowing above. After dinner, Lance had retreated to his room and pondered his situation. All throughout the day, Keith had followed him around the house and stood behind him wherever he sat. Currently, he was in his own quarters, which were connected directly to Lance's, polishing his knives, or doing whatever bodyguards did in their free time. It had been awkward, to be sure. Lance hadn't been sure how to react to someone (who was basically a stranger!) shadow him all day, in complete silence. He had attempted conversation a few times but had given up after Keith had glared and given snarky monosyllable answers. In fact, Lance often got the impression throughout the day that Keith wasn't exactly ecstatic to be here either (although that was kind of fair, given the situation).

But whatever. Under the guise of being tired after a very long day, he had retired to his room to sleep. Unfortunately, Lance was way to hopped up on energy to sleep anytime soon. No, now was when he started planning. He pulled out a journal and began writing down everything he knew so far – the times (, the event, the known people involved, the place, etc.

After a while, he came to a stop. It had taken place in the gardens, right? And if his memory was correct, the only way to get to the gardens was through the courtyard, because the castle always had heavy security - especially during events. It was one of the reasons so many had been shocked by Allura's disappearance. The Royal Altean Guard were known for their vigilance. But if the courtyard was the only way into the gardens, that meant whoever took Allura had to have come through the courtyard as well, right?

This meant that there was almost definitely security camera footage of whoever coming through the courtyard. But where was he going to get the footage from? Lance huffed a breath in frustration. The only people who had access to the security cameras were the Royal Guard, and they had airtight security! You would need a professional hacker or something! And it's not as if-

Oh. Yeah.

That would work too.

Lance's mouth curled slowly into a grin as a plan formed in his head. If he left now, he could be back by sundown and no one would even notice, especially not his new bodyguard. He stowed his journal and a pen in a knapsack, which he tugged over his shoulder. He pulled on some comfortable shoes and opened the window of his bedroom, carefully making sure the hinge didn't squeak. He hoisted himself over the windowsill and grabbed the drainpipe beside his window, like he did every time he snuck out.

Before leaving, he threw one look at the door of Keith's room and scoffed. Who cared if he had a bodyguard now? With an air of finality, he pulled his window closed behind him and scaled the wall, landing with a crunch in the gravel path at the bottom.

He could handle himself, he thought with a grin.

**Author's Note:**

> tysm for reading! pls leave kudos or comments, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside! <333
> 
> also like. angrily comment down below if im slacking. im gonNA FINISH THIS THING GODDAMMIT.


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